Time to Refuel: Taking a Break from Pissing Matches

Hi everyone. We've hired a professional PR person to help make the Vermont Fair Trade Recycling Summit a success. He's banned me from using certain "emotionally charged" phrases like "Geeks of Color", and from pushing as hard in defense of the technicians who are "presumed" to be "primitive exporters". So this is my last such use of these terms (until after the Summit, at least).

Some of you will remember the early days of World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association, when we tried the "California Compromise" and publishing articles in tandem with BAN. Part of me feels that when I went a bit unchained (after the triple takeout of Egypt, Nigeria, and Indonesia importers in a very rough 2009-10), that's when we got attention from reporters, got the grants, etc.But a "pissing match" is only good for so long. We'll give the diplomats a turn. If they are able to coax back Interpol, CBS, Fresh Air and Oprah... I'll try anything to save recycling and my friends overseas. We'll be welcoming Jason to meet with you in the coming weeks.The Interpol organization has not, so far, responded to our invitation to attend. But I'm inspired by the Lincoln movie... by how he never stopped caring, but was willing to let others do as they saw fit, and how Abraham Lincoln could keep caring while not doing all the talking.We want Interpol to be out stopping ivory traders, stopping involuntary and child labor, sex tourism, and worse. Perhaps, if they stop arresting my friends, and announcing the seizure of used goods as "waste" without testing contents of the containers, I would have come to this Separate Peace (or Separate PACE) on my own terms.We all have to make choices in our lives of when we are doing something out of pride - pride of press attention for being in a battle, or too proud to resist taking a popular position. If chaining my pen will allow time for peace to grow, for the sake of the technicians, fixers and repairmen, I'll try that. I hope that some new spokesperson will emerge from the Fair Trade Recycling Summit to take on their cause, and their representation.Fair Trade Recycling has become a sort of Anti-Defamation League for the refurbishers and repair importers. Let's hope they don't need us, and give them a chance, at the Summit, to speak on their own behalves.